


At the End of the Day

by maddiecasket



Series: At the End of the Day [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Heavy Angst, References to Depression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-26
Updated: 2017-11-26
Packaged: 2019-02-06 23:32:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12828468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maddiecasket/pseuds/maddiecasket
Summary: When Keith falls into depression he finds he can save his friends but he can't save himself





	At the End of the Day

**Author's Note:**

> I can never find any good Keith angst so I decided to write one myself

Keith hated living with the Blade of Marmora. His room was cold and there was no one he enjoyed talking with. His only source of comfort was sewing. So he started a project. He decided to make a set of stuffed lions.

The first one was a tan lion with a fluffy orange mustache. It had a small crystal in its paw and had a comfortable smile on its face. Keith liked to twirl this lions mustache between his fingers.

The second lion was a light pink lion. It had a golden circlet around its head and had royal purple earrings dangling from its ears. There was a group of colorful mice in its paws. Keith liked this one because it had a charm around it that was very comfortable.

The next lion he made was the green lion. It had a pair of silver glasses stiched to its face and had a tired but confident look. In one paw the lion held a computer. In the other it held a stuffed Rover. It was the smallest of the bunch so far. Keith liked her lots.

The yellow lion was made next. He was the biggest and the softest. He had Hunk’s headband on and a soft sleepy smile on his face. His eyes were closed and his ears were droopy. Keith spent long hours laying in bed cuddling this one.

Keith found himself making Blue next. She had Lance's softest smile and his bomb scar on her back. It covered pretty much every inch of her back. The fabric on the her back was a slightly lighter blue than the rest of the lion. Just like the skin on Lance's back. Keith had seen the scar once. It had been bumpy and rough looking. It was something Keith would never unsee. Lance always says he doesn't regret taking that bomb for Coran. It was worth it in a weird way.

The last lion Keith made was the black lion. It was the second largest next to the yellow lion. It had a white tuft of hair, a scar across its nose, and Shiro's galra arm. It took Keith months to make this lion. Everytime he picked up the fabric, needle, and thread he would lose all of his motivation. He would then end up spending the rest of his night crying into the yellow lion’s fur. He eventually got it done, and it was worth it.

Keith tried to keep the lions as secret as he could. Most of the Blade members viewed Keith as a child already, he didn't need to add fuel to the fire. The only Blade member who seemed to know was Kolivan. He had seen Keith making the lions so he roughly knew of their existence. He never asked about them though, which Keith was glad for.

After he had finished all of his lions, he spent a lot of time talking to them. He cried about his problems to Yellow. He told Black about his accomplishments and his hope for praise. He told Blue bad jokes. He told Green about the cool technology he found. He told Pink and Tan about all the incredible creatures he's met. He tells them everything and anything, no matter how personal. He trusted these toys with everything he had, even though they were just stuffed lions.

-

The mission was meant to be peaceful, not a galra trap. Almost as soon as Voltron and the Blade had landed on the planet Wex they had been swarmed. They fought as hard as they could, but the paladins and Kolivan had been captured. 

Keith had somehow escaped and was watching them be cuffed up from a tree. A tall galra general and three other galra were tying their wrists behind their backs. Keith gulped as he watched the tallest pick up a long sword.

Keith slid down the tree and crept towards the group. He watched as the general experimentally swung the sword back and forth. It was too close to Lance for Keith's comfort. The galra smirked down at Lance and raised his sword. Keith ran forward just as the sword whipped through the air and took the full blow of the hit.

The galra chuckled as Keith fell to the ground with a strangled scream. The general motioned to his group and they left as fast as they came. Keith curled into a ball as best he could, choked sobs forcing their way out of his throat.

Kolivan was the first to break through his cuffs and run to Keith. He pulled Keith into his lap and cradled him like the most fragile piece of glass in the universe. He pushed strands of hair from Keith's face and made soft noises in an attempt to soothe him.

Keith gasped in pain as sobs wracked his body. He shook violently and tears ran down his face hot and fast. He sent a silent plea to Kolivan who nodded his head in confirmation. Keith sighed and let his held fall back, only to be cradled by another pair of familiar hands. Keith let one last sob escape his mouth before he closed his eyes and let the sounds around him fade to nothing.

-

About a week later, team Voltron each found a stuffed lion on their beds. It didn't take long for them to figure out who had made these and who had put them here. They had a hard time accepting these stuffed toys. It was a touchy subject after all. 

Hunk was the first to accept his lion. He and Keith had been close in a weirdly special way. Everyone followed closely after. Before anyone knew it, they carried these lions everywhere. It was a source on uncertain comfort.

The stuffed lions gave them one more reason to fight as well. It was a sign of Keith's silent fight. A fight that they didn't help him in. So the lions gave them the courage to keep going. To fight in honor of Keith.


End file.
